


i'll be there for you (like i've been there before)

by agaytoremembr



Series: Second Chances [3]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Family fix it, after so long as a ghost Ben likes feeling needed, and vanya Five and klaus need him the most, bc he does, ben isn't here to let them all grow up sad again, this is just a Ben loves his siblings thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 09:58:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18050363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agaytoremembr/pseuds/agaytoremembr
Summary: Getting used to being alive again was a strange business.





	i'll be there for you (like i've been there before)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the lovely @max-is-a-doggo for beta-ing this for me!! 
> 
> As always, comments give me life so I'd love to hear anything you think about this!!

Ben spent more time with his siblings when he was dead than he had when he was alive. 

 

Not that any of them were aware of it, other than Klaus. His time was primarily spent trying to look after his most troublesome brother, but he had more than enough downtime to keep tabs on the rest of them. He saw Allison, using her gift to get the life she had dreamed of; Diego, prowling the streets in his getup because saving people was all he’d ever known; Luther, toiling away doing their father’s nearly useless commands; and Vanya, her simple life almost enough for her, except when it wasn’t. He tried to look for Five as hard as Klaus had in the first year after he disappeared, but he never had any luck, until he came back to stop the apocalypse. 

 

He only spent a few moments with them in the grand scheme of things, but it was still more than they had ever sought each other out in life. Seeing them live their lives had always made him feel a bit better, given him the strength to go back and berate Klaus into trying to do the same.

 

\--------

 

Getting used to being alive again was a strange business, but Ben decided to just do all of the things he had wished he could back when he was dead. Being a ghost gave him a lot of time to think, even with all the time following Klaus and chastising him took out of his schedule. 

 

Which made it no surprise that he spent his time now trying to take care of his siblings, as much as they would let him. Fortunately for him, he had the home court advantage this time. Like he hadn’t used being invisible to check up on them from time to time? He knew things now, more than he had the first time they were this age, that was for sure. And he was going to put it to use; to stop his family from hurting quite so much. For all he loved them, he had to admit they had the collective emotional intelligence of a teaspoon, whereas Ben was nearly all emotions by this point. 

 

He would help them all, but three of them needed him more than the others. 

 

\--------

  
  


Ben woke with a start, screams from down the hall piercing through his slumber. He wasn’t immediately concerned- Klaus had nightmares all the time, he was used to it.  But by the time he had made his way to the hall, he knew something was wrong. Klaus was standing outside his bedroom, rubbing sleep from his eyes and giving Ben a worried look. They both took off running toward the sound, nearly crashing into an equally frantic Diego, while Luther stood at Five’s door. 

 

Luther grimaced, stepping aside so that they could see the picture inside. Five was thrashing around his bed while Vanya and Allison crouched by his bedside, attempting to soothe him. 

 

Diego jerked back, biting his bottom lip and giving Ben a desperate look. He wasn’t much good at comforting, Ben knew. And truthfully, since they’d been back, Diego couldn’t stand to see any of them this upset. His stutter came back with a vengeance, and despite meaning well, he didn’t much help anyone.   

 

“D, stay out here with Luther, keep watch for Dad or Mom or Pogo. Tell them we have it, make up a story they’ll believe; whatever you have to do, but don’t let them in the room.” Ben turned to Klaus, who was looking at him earnestly. His commanding persona slipped for a moment, and he wondered when he became the person that could give orders instead of just following them. “Klaus, come with me. You get nightmares too, you’ll be able to help.”

 

Ben could tell Klaus liked that; Diego and Luther being set as lookouts while he had something useful to contribute. His brother mock-saluted, a dopey grin on his lips. “Yes, sir.”

 

Ben slipped inside, Klaus close on his heels, just as the girls had successfully managed to wake Five. The screams were fading, turning into ragged breaths, and Ben thought that would be the end of it. He almost turned to tell Klaus they weren’t needed, when he caught sight of Five’s face as it morphed from a confused to horrified as it landed on Vanya. He wanted to yank Vanya away when he saw it, but Five was too fast; Five leapt off the bed, knocking the girls to one side. He skidded to a stop in front of Klaus, his eyes round with continued horror, backing away, his lips moving without any sound coming out. 

 

Ben bit his lip, trying to think of a plan. Five was definitely scared of Vanya, that much was clear, but the way he looked at Klaus and Allison… it was similar to the way Ben had seen Klaus look at ghosts. Suddenly an idea popped into his head, and he waved his siblings away. “Fivey,” he said softly, taking a slow step towards his near feral brother. “It’s Ben.” 

 

Five was still crouched defensively, glaring at them all, his eyes darting between them like he couldn’t decide who was the biggest threat. His gaze slid over Ben each time, and confirmed his theory. 

 

“Guys,” Ben said calmly, not taking his eyes off of Five. “Could you leave, please?”

 

Allison made a noise of discontent, while he could see Klaus hesitating in the corner of his eyes. He sighed; he didn’t really want to tell them what he was thinking this time, but he knew they wouldn’t leave unless they knew. “I think… I think you all remind him of the danger. He's not… I don't think he knows where he is. Let me calm him down and you can come back. Okay?” 

 

Klaus was quick to obey, which was strange in and of itself, but in hindsight Ben thought he should have realized how quickly Vanya would put it together, and how untrained she still was. A window exploded, and Allison quietly shepherded their crying sister away. Guilt was a powerful thing, and Five was so clearly traumatized from her trying to kill them all. 

 

Once the door closed, Ben breathed a sigh and took a careful step forward. “Five? Buddy?” 

 

Five’s glare was less aggressive, but he was still unraveling. 

 

“Hey, buddy, it’s gonna be okay,” Ben murmured, slowly reaching forward, his stomach fluttering as he remembered the knives Five had hidden around his room. He pushed through the fear, holding out his hand. “Can I touch you? Can I help you get back into bed?” 

 

Five hesitated, staring up at Ben, weirdly vulnerable in a way that Ben’s never seen Five before. His brother takes a few minutes before nodding slowly, giving the room one last searching look, as though a new threat might pop out of the woodwork. 

 

Which, Ben thought grimly, looping an arm around Five, had probably been Five’s reality for a long time. Time travelers literally could appear from thin air, and Ben had a sudden rush of sympathy for his brother. “It’s all gonna be okay, Fivey,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to Five’s cheek, while Five weakly tried to scrub it away. Ben rolled his eyes. “C’mon, up and at’em, buddy. Into bed you go.”

 

Five gave vague motions of protest as Ben helped him back into his little twin bed, but grasped Ben’s wrist and refused to let go. Five looked more haunted than Ben had ever seen him, the look on his face reminding Ben miserably of Klaus. “I won’t leave, Fivey,” he promised, sliding into the bed beside his brother and holding him against his chest. Amazingly, Five didn’t fight him, his body almost limp while Ben cards his fingers through Five’s hair. “I won’t leave you alone, not again.”

 

Their siblings found them a few hours later, curled up on Five’s bed fast asleep, and quietly agreed that Ben was the best to deal with Five’s night terrors. 

 

\-------

 

The peace and quiet was what had always drawn him to the library. The first time he was alive he’d thought he was the only one who had sought refuge in its walls, but this time he was paying more attention.

 

It wasn’t like he was trying to hide from his siblings, per se. But occasionally, Ben needed a tranquil place. As much as he loved them, most of his siblings weren’t what anyone could call ‘peaceful.’ Luther and Diego, while less than before, were still constantly sniping at each other, Allison was a naturally talkative person, and Klaus… well, Klaus was Klaus. He loved them all, but sometimes he wanted to be able to hear himself think.

 

He was curled up in the bay window, his nose in a book, when he noticed he wasn’t alone. He heard quiet footsteps, was distracted momentarily from his novel, and listened to the screech of old metal. A sound he recognized: Vanya’s music stand. 

 

He smiled and leaned back against the plush pillows Mother had taken to leaving in his favorite window, listening to the sounds of Vanya’s violin. A quiet tune filled the library, sweet but hauntingly sad. He squirmed uncomfortably, the music reminding him of the things Vanya used to play when she was left alone, for the umpteenth time. 

 

He flipped to the back of his book, tearing out a blank page at the end- it was a novel he now had three copies of, thanks to Klaus- and grabbed a pen from his blazer pocket. He scribbled a note, then folded it carefully into something he had only ever watched Klaus make: a paper airplane. Almost as an afterthought, he wrote ‘to V’ on the wing, before throwing it through the air. 

 

The plane glided through the middle of the stacks, nosediving a little further past where his sister was, but he hoped she had seen it. It was hit or miss when Vanya was playing; he had watched her ignore a pizza delivery to her apartment once because she was so focused. 

 

Thankfully, Ben heard the music stop, his sister shuffling around until he spotted her mop of shiny brown hair, bent over to retrieve the little airplane. Her brow furrowed as she straightened, mouthing the words written on the wing. She glanced around until she finally spotted him. He smiled sheepishly, waving. She gently pulled the plane apart, smoothing the paper. She froze for a moment, and Ben thought he had offended her. 

 

It took a moment for Vanya to relax, a small smile playing on her lips, as she turned back to Ben. “I guess I never really have before, but for you, Benny, I will. What’s your request?”

 

Ben laughed, turning on to his side to share an earnest grin with his sister. “Play me something that makes you happy.”

 

Vanya seemed to like that, her smile growing nominally, before she ducked her head. “Is it… I mean, can I…” she mumbled, peeking up through her lashes. “Can I come over by you and play?”

 

Ben’s smile faded. “Of course, Vanya,” he said softly, pushing himself up off the window seat. He walked over to his sister, picking up her music stand and smiling, offering her his hand. “I’d like that a lot. It gets lonely in here sometimes, and you’re the only person I would want to hang out with here.” 

 

This was his special place, and he hadn’t dreamt of sharing it with anyone, but it seemed it was Vanya’s special place, too. The two quiet, gentle siblings who everyone tended to forget, wouldn’t forget each other. They met up in the library at least once a week, sometimes for Vanya to practice her violin and Ben to read; sometimes to play quiet card games with the deck Ben had gotten from Klaus; sometimes just to get away from all of their hectic siblings. They loved their chaotic family, but sometimes it was nice to just have each other. 

 

\------

 

Klaus crashed into Ben’s bedroom the way he crashed into life in general, jumping onto Ben’s bed and beaming. 

 

Ben sighed, closing his book and scooting back. “Hi, Klaus.”

 

Klaus grinned, holding out a paper bag. If it had been their first go round, Ben might have suspected to find booze or drugs in the bag but he had a sneaking suspicion of what it really was. “C’mon then, show me what you’ve got this time.”

 

Klaus laughed, turning the bag upside down and emptying it out over the bedspread. “I’ve got stuff for everybody this time, what a haul!”

 

Ben chuckled, rolling his eyes and picking up what looked like an arrowhead. He quirked a brow. “Diego?” He guessed, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. 

 

Klaus nodded, tilting his head to the side. “I was wondering if he could turn arrows like he does knives. A bow and arrow would look way cooler than strapping a billion knives to himself.” He took the arrowhead back, gliding the pad of his thumb over the edge before tucking it away. “Couldn’t find real arrows though, but I think he'll like it.”

 

Ben nodded, already moving on to new objects. His brows drew together as he landed on the largest one. He picked up a rag doll. “Uh… who’s this for, and why? You know we’re not  _ actually _ thirteen, right?”

 

Klaus scowled, snatching the doll back and smoothing it’s yarn hair. “It’s for Allison. She never got a doll, because Dad said they were silly and we weren’t kids anyway.” He sighed. “She always wanted one… I thought, maybe…” 

 

Ben chewed his lower lip, watching his brother’s worried face. Klaus put thought into these little gifts he’d taken to leaving in their rooms, no matter how silly they looked at first. “K, she’ll love it. Vanya might get a little jealous though.”

 

Klaus scoffed, reaching into his blazer pocket and pulling out a little action figure type toy, with noodle arms and legs. 

 

Ben wrinkled his nose. “Uh… what's that supposed to be?”

 

“Betty Spaghetty!” Klaus cried, indignant. “Vanya and I watched television during our Saturday fun time sometimes, and there were commercials for these. It looked funny but Vanya liked them.” 

 

Ben smiled. He should have known Klaus would have it covered. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know where he was getting the money for these things or when he was sneaking out to get them, but those were questions for later. Klaus was doing something good. 

 

He kept smiling as Klaus set both dolls in his lap, picking up each piece of the collection and explaining who it was for and why he thought they'd like it. 

 

Ben knew most of the items were silly, or cheap, or otherwise unremarkable, but he still oohed and aahed over each one, giving his opinion where it was needed. Klaus was fragile, more fragile than he let on, and Ben encouraged him as much as he could. Klaus was quirky and strange and unpredictable, and it made sense that his way of improving their sibling bond was to leave little gifts in the dead of night, while being his usual loud and abrasive self during the day. 


End file.
